Process of covering heels.



I. M. KROHN & M. l. SULLIVAN. PROCESS OF COVERING HEELS.

arrucmou FILED no.1. 1916.

1 ,190,775. rammed July 11, 1916.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

mwm' m. norm A m MicH EL :r. SULLIVAN, F CINCINNATI, 01110.

' Pnocnss or covm me hams;

.1 jpplieatlonilledFebruary 7,1916; Serial No. 7c,547.

To all whom. it may coacem:

, Be it known that W6', IRWI'N M. KROHN and MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN, citizens of the United States, and residing t Cincinnati, in the -county of Hamilton and. State of Ohio,-have invented a new and useful Imq 'provement ill-Processes of Covering Heels, 'of which the following specification is a full disclosure.

Our invention relates to a new and improved method of covering the heel of a shoe, and to the resultant new and improved product.

The primary. object of the invention is to cover the heel after it is attached to the shoe,

' oriin conjunction with the heel attachment to the shoe. v

The invention has particular use in relation to the' ordinary leather "heel, built on and attached to the shoe in the usual way.

But, the invention may also be used in connecti'o'nwith' a one-piece heel, and the cover-V ing fprocess herein disclosed enables eitheraLone-pieceheel or a sectionally assembled heel to be secured tothe heel seat whileilthe parts are in position on the last, so that" the heel covering is not an independentoperation, but coordinated with conventional heel- .4 a ing processes and machines.

The particular advantage, of the process as -regards a lift heel'is that a heel can be sectionally built 'upon a lasted shoe and nailed from the outside to the heel seat in the ordinary manner by standard machine}; while the-shoe is lasted, and the outer heel surface can be covered after the heel'is completed and attached so that a lift heel can be covered, saving the burnishing operalasted shoe parts.

It is well-known that leather or kid covered wooden heels have been in use. Such heels have not the advantages norqualities of leather heels in wear or appearance. Moreover such covered wooden heels have to be bought from a special manufacturer and attached to, the shoe by aninconvenient and expensive method. Therefore, prominent Specification of Letters Patent.

breast of the heel.

Patented July 11, 191-6.

advantages of the present invention are, that itenables the use of a covered leather heel; it enables the shoemanufacturer to make,

attach, andcover heels in his own factory;

it enables the heel-covering process to beeconomically .and etliciently correlated with conventional processes and machinesas used in forming and attaching leather heels to a lasted shoe upper; and it enables the making of a shoe with a coveredheehthe process being available in connection with the makng of any type of shoes.

' The features of the invention will be unv ing drawings, forming a part of'this speciderstood with reference to-the accompanyfication, in which F1gure 1-1s a slde elevation of the conventional lasted upper before the outsole and heel areattached, and with the heel covering shown in its first position of attachment.

. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing-the outsole andfhe el applied, with the heel still uncovered. Fig. 3 is a similar View, showing the covered heeland the outsole operations completed.

1 The conventional shoe parts, upper, coun- I 'ter, l1mn'g and--insole, being,lastedas usual on the last 2, prior to the-outsole operation,

a heel cover 3 is placed around the heel of the last with a margin turned in over the lasted heel margin of the upper, and it is preferably secured thereto by nails 4, soas to be firmly lasted directly to the upper, the unattached portion of the heel cover extending upwardly and around the lasted heel portion of the upper so as to be entirely out of the way as regards the subsequent' outsole operations. This cover is of suitable ornamental material constituting the veneer or trimming, and it is-patterned to fit the given heel contour, that is, an, outeror. curved heel surface, as. distinguished from the- After the heel cover margin 'is so secured tog the z'la'sted upper heel margin, the outsole;,,.f8is,laid "and secured to the shoe parts uponthe bottom of the last, and the heel end of the outsole covering the attached margin of the heel cover.

forms the direct seat for the heel. The heel is nailed from the outside to this outsole heel seat in the ordinary way and bystandard machines, while the upper parts of the shoe are so lasted,and then the unattached portion of the heel cover-3 is'drawn from its position around the heel of the last, as

shown in Fig.- 1, over the heel seat edge of,

cover extending as it were contiguously from the heel portion of the upper. Preferably the forw'ard'edges'of the heel cover a'readhesively secured directly to'the heel.- breast and coveredby a flap 9 skived from the heel. end of the outsole. resulting'from this method. and disclosed herein constitutes an independent invention. for which I have filed separate application.

The product The heel5 may be a one-piece heel, either curved or straight, or it may be a lift heel, the first section of which it attached to the heel seat, and the next section attachedto the first'section', Inshort, the heel, the rear and side portions of which constitute the unfinished surface 7, is" attached to the heel .seat in the ordinary manner, whilaflle parts are lasted, and the loose portion of the cover 'is drawn: off of the heel of the last and around the surface 7 and caused to conform thereto, and is adhesively securedthereto,

thus also serving to. cover the heel seat portion of the outsole. The heel a'nd'shoe upper above the heel, thus present the appearance of acontinuous leather or' kidsurface, -with onlya single slight joint 12, indicating the heel seat line between theupper and heel. The bottom lift 11 is attached to the heel as usual. With a shoe finished b this method,

the heel can be repaired by ta 'ng off or re-. placing the lifts in the usual manner, the

shoe is more durable and. presents a' neater appearance.

Therefore, ,the process in addition to the advantages from a manufacturing point of view, produces in'every way a. new,better and higher grade product, and the process affords a cheaper and superior method of producing shoes with covered heels than is possible with the use of cov-' ered .heels of such construction or material.

as require extra hand work, and the manu-.

" facturer can make, cover and attach his heels without the, hecessity of varying his ordinary system, processes and machines. Again, it will be noted that in the preferred method .the heel'cover is primarily attached to the" heel seat portion of the upper and counter,

and again attached to theheel itself, so as to increase, rather than Weaken the forces hold.-

ing the heel to the shoe.

Slight variations in the order of'steps or exact method may be used, Without departing from the principles of this invention or discovery, as, for instance, the heel surface 7 may be first covered,-and then the upper margin of the cover can be tuckedinto the heel seat and secured coincidentlywith the securan'cc of the-heel itself to the heel seat,

or other slightchanges can be made, the cover being attached both to the heel surface and to the non-exposed heel seat portion of thereto. v 1

.2. In the art of shoe making'the .processcomp rising the steps of securing the margin of a. heel cover-upon aheel seat portion, of a lasted shoe upper. the unattached cover of a lasted shoe and then securing it portion being folded around the heel portion of the lasted upper, laying and attaching the outsole, attaching the heel upon the outsole heel seat, drawing the unattached portion 'ofthe heel cover from the lasted upper over an outer heel surface and scour ing it thereto. 3. In the art of shoe making the process comprising the' steps of nailin' the margin of a heel cover to the heel margin of a lasted upper, securing-the outsole. to the lasted upper parts, securing the heel to the heel seat, and securing-the unattached portion of the heel cover to the outer :heel surface of the attached heel. I

4-.In the art of shoe making the process comprising the steps of nailing a-heel cover to a non-exposed heel seat portion of a'lasted 'shoe, attaching the heel and securingthe unattached 1 surface.

' 5. In the art of shoe making, the'process comprising thesteps of securing a margin o f'a heel cover. to a .non-ex'posed heeLseat cover portion "to the outer heel 1 portion of a lasted-shoe, securing an outsole. over sald cover margln, sectlonally assem'-' bling and securing a laminated heel upon the heel seat of the'outsole and drawing the unattached cover portion around the outer heel surface'and securing it thereto to conceal the. lift joints and outsole heel seat edge.

6. In the art of shoe making, the process comprisingthe steps of. attaching onepor- I tion of a heel cover to a non-exposed heel seat portion of a lasted shoe, attaching a heel to itsheel seat and attachingthe other I portion of said'heel cover to the outer surface of the attachedheel.

7. In the art of shoe making, the process comprising the stepof lasting the margin of a heel cover upon the heel seat portion of a shoe,"the free portion of the cover being folded back .out of the way of subsequent outsole and heel, Seuulmg an outsole and heel in place, and then drawing the free portion of said cover from its folded position securing it face with a cover consisting in lapging themargin of a heel cover around the eel seat 10 of a lasted upper and securing said margin bfitween non-exposed heel seat surfaces of the s oe.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names, as attested by the two subscribing witnesses.

' IRWIN M. KROHN.

MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN. Witnesses:

CLARENCE B. Fos'rER, L. A. BECK. 

